NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Stating that every teacher basically needs to be a counselor, going beyond the completion of school curriculum and achieving 100 per cent result for school, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Wednesday said that the school students in the state, through counseling need to be advised on traffic sense as well as cleanliness, while their parents counseled with regards to the serious rise in the cases of divorce in Goa.
“The statistics points out that in Goa, on an average one person dies in a road accident every day, and 80 per cent of those succumbing to road accidents are in the age group of 18 to 25,” he added, pointing out that furthermore, out of the 10,000 marriages taking place in Goa, more than 300 proceed for divorce, making at least 3 per cent of these marriages failure, which in turn seriously affects the growth of the children involved.
Delivering an address during the 55th Teachers Day function, at the Kala Academy, the Chief Minister also stressed on the need to bring certain reforms in the educational field, so that best people come to work as teachers, heads of educational institutions, and chiefs of the educational societies. “Let us think in this direction, in the near future,” he noted.
Secretary for education Nila Mohanan, and the director of education G P Bhat were also present on the occasion.
Speaking further, the Chief Minister said that the requirement to shift the schools outside the crowded cities has resulted in setting up of an educational complex at Cujira, on the outskirts of Panaji. “The government intends to continue this exercise in cities like Margao, Ponda and Vasco,” he maintained, revealing that the government proposes to create at least two such educational complexes, every five years.
Parsekar, who also holds the education portfolio, informed that the government, considering the increase in the number of colleges in the state, had decided to honour teachers in the field of higher education as well as technical education, with state awards. “However, lack of related applications has forced the government to postpone this exercise, during the current academic year,” he added, pointing out that the award winning teachers under these categories would be soon felicitated.
The secretary for education, speaking on the occasion, said that education is a journey towards self-discovery and self-evaluation, while the teachers are shining beacons of light. “There are many challenges in the field of education as we deal with new opportunities as well as face newer problems posed by the influx of modern technology and social media,” she maintained, stating that brainstorming within teachers’ community is necessary so that students don’t lose on new opportunities offered by the new world.
The director of education said that the government is concerned about the welfare of teachers and during past two years settled issues of para-teachers and pre-primary teachers, as also lifted the criteria of giving selection grade to only 20 per cent of teachers per school.
The event also witnessed felicitation of teachers namely Kashi Naik, Surekha Naik, Bhalchandra Bhave, Vivek Bodke, Umar Farooque Goundi, Dadu Parab, Fr Dominic Fernandes, and Sumedha Kamat Dessai, with state awards. Bardez, Bicholim and Mormugao talukas received top three awards for collecting highest teachers’ welfare fund.